Piano-maker&#39;s tool.



A. P. BROWN.

PIANO MAKERS TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9. I9I5.

1,164,255, Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

WITNESS '7 nvmvron g m ATTORNE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER 1. BROWN, 01: LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK.

PIANO-MAKER'S TOOL.

Application filed July 9, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER P. BROWN, a resident of Long Island City, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piano-Makers Tools, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a tool specially adapted for the use of piano makers.

It relates more particularly to a tool, by means of which the bridle straps are attached to the hammer shanks of a piano action.

One of the objects of the present invention is to produce a tool of this type which is simple in construction, and eflicient in operation, and which can be manufactured on a commercial scale, or in other words one which is not so difficult to produce as to be beyond the reasonable cost of such a contrivance.

With these and other objects in view, which will more fully appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the combination, arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter fully described, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that many changes may be made in the size and proportion of the several parts and details of construction within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Two of the many possible embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, partly in elevation, taken through a tool constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the outer end of the tool, on a larger scale; Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the detail shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a top plan view of one of the elements of the tool; Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the element shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section taken through a portion of a modified tool; and Fig. 7 is a side elei ation of a piano hammer and certain parts cooperating therewith, illustrating the mode of operation of the tool.

Before describing the tool, those parts of the piano action will be briefly mentioned Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

Serial No. 39,020.

which are necessary to understand the operation of said tool. This is best accomplished by having reference to Fig. 7 of the drawings, in which the numeral 10 indicates the hammer of a piano action, provided with a shank 11, that is mounted, as well known in the art, upon a hammer butt 12, into which fits a forwardly extending shank 13, to the latter being attached a back stop 14. This back stop is provided with an aperture 15, through which extends a bridle strap 16, the rearend of which is attached at 17 to the shank 13, while its front end is connected to a bridle wire (not shown in the drawings). The bridle strap is usually made of a piece of tape, which is glued to gether with the shank 13 to the respective hammer butt. When a bridle strap is worn out, it is replaced by a new one, its inner end being then glued to the shank 13. The tool, forming the subject matter of the present application for Letters Patent, serves to attach the bridle straps to the shanks, and also to pass the same through the apertures 15 in the back stops 14.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, the numeral 18 denotes the shank of a tool, the inner end of which is suitably attached to a handle 19. The outer flattened end of the shank is bent upward at 20, and thence forward in parallel relation to the body of the shank, as clearly shown at 21. The front end of the portion 21 of the tool is provided with prongs 22, and the upper face 23 of said portion is concave to accommodate the hammer shank 13. In one of the sides of the upwardly bent portion 20 there is formed a slot 24, through which the bridle strap is drawn, as will hereinafter appear. Upon the shank 18, which may be of any suitable cross section, is slidably disposed a sleeve 25, provided with a clamping screw 26, by which the position thereof is fixed upon the said shank. On this sleeve is formed a downwardly extending pointed lug 27 that is sharp enough to pierce conveniently the bridle strap. This lug may be formed by two converging incisions in the metallic sleeve, and then bending the material between the two incisions substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said sleeve. It is, however, obvious that it may be formed in any other suitable manner; for instance, it may be attached to the sleeve. The lug 27 projects through a slot 28 in a plate member 20, which will be termed hereinafter the stripper for reasons which will appear later. The connection between this stripper and the sleeve 25 should be resilient, and may be obtained in the manner shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5 of the drawings by making it integral with the said sleeve, for instance by forming a strip 30, which is first bent downward at 31, thence backward in parallel relation to the axis of the sleeve, as shown at 32, and from there in a curved line downward, as at 33, then bending the strip back upon itself at 3 1, and causing it to abut against thesecticns 33 and 32, and from there forward so that the lug 27 is seated in the slot 28 thereof. There may be formed a flap 35 on the section 32 of the strip, which is bent over that section of the plate member 29 which contacts with said first named section, to hold the parts in proper positions.

The operation of this device is as follows: First, the sleeve 25 and the parts carried thereby are brought into the proper positions upon the shank 18, and securely clamped in such positions by means of the screw 26. The front end of the bridle strap is then engaged with the lug 27, that is to say the said lug is forced through the same. The strap is then drawn through the slot 24 and engaged with the prongs 2:2, all as clearly shown in 1* ig. 7 of the drawings. A suitable adhesiveis applied to the rear end of the strap, after which the front end of the tool, with the bridle strap in position thereon, is passed through the aperture 15 in the back stop 1%, and the strap pressed by means of the portion 21 of the tool against the hammer shank 13. By making this portion of the tool concave, obviously the bridle strap will be held in contact with the hammer shank 13 throughout its entire width. The adhesive is then given some chance to become set. The bridle strap is then disengaged from the lug 27 by forcing the rear end of the stripper into contact with the shank 18. Finally, the tool is withdrawn from the back stop 1 1.

The modification shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings differs only slightly from the one above described. More particularly, its lug 27 is formed upon the clamping screw 26, and its stripper 529 is connected with the sleeve 25 by means of a spring 36. The operation of this device is in all respects similar to that of the one described in connection with Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive.

l Vhat 1 claim is 1. A piano makers tool comprising a shank having an upwardly bent end terminating in a forwardly projecting flattened portion, prongs upon said flattened portion, a sleeve shiftably disposed upon said shank, a downwardly extending pointed lug upon said sleeve, and a stripper on said sleeve in the form of a plate member having a slot in which said lug is normally se ted.

2. A piano makers tool comprising a shank having an upwardly bent end terminating in a forwardly projecting flattened portion, the upper face of said flattened por tion being concave, prongs upon said flattened portion, a sleeve shiftably disposed upon said shank, a downwardly extending pointed lug upon said sleeve, and a stripper on said sleeve in the form of a plate member having a slot in which said lug is normally seated.

A piano makers tool comprising a shank having an upwardly bent end terminating in a forwardly projecting flattened portion, said upwardly bent end having a slot in one of its sides in rear of said forwardly projecting portion, prongs upon said flattened portion, a sleeve shiftably disposer upon said shank, a downwardly extending pointed lug upon said sleeve, and a stripper on said sleeve in the form of a plate member having a slot in which said lug is normally seated.

4. A piano makers tool comprising a shank having an upwardly bent end terminating in a forwardly projecting flattened portion, means upon said flattened portion for eiigaging a tape, a sleeve upon said shank, and a downwardly extending pointed lug upon said sleeve.

5. A piano makers tool comprising a shank having an upwardly bent end terminating in a forwardly projecting flattened portion, means upon said flattened portion for engaging a tape, a sleeve upon said shank, a downwardly extending pointed lug npon said sleeve, and a stripper on said sleeve in the form of a plate member having a slot in which said lug is normally seated.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 7th day of July, A. D. 1915.

ALEXANDER P. BROWN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

